Jefferson patten



(No Model.)

J. PATTEN.

METALLIC PACKING FOR STEAM CYLINDER PISTONS. N0 384,272.

Patented June 12, 1888.

WITNESSES: IIVI/ENTOR W Y Y A TTORIVE Y UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

. JEFFERSO PATTEN, OF BROOKLY NEW YORK.

METALLIC PACKlNG FOR STEAM-CYLINDER PISTONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 384,272, dated June 12,1888.

Application filed March 17, lBB.

Serial No. 267,469. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J EFFERSON Pn'r rsma' citizen of the United States,and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MetallicPacking for Steam-Oy1inder Pistons, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of my invention, which .is dis closed in the followingdescription and claims,

' is to provide a perfectly steam-tight metallic packing for the pistonsof steam-cylinders by constructing-the metallic rings forming thepacking and combining them with the pistonheadjin 'such a manner.that'the steam in-the cylinder will be admitted under the packingrings,which will be pressed outward against Y the inner surface of thecylinder, and thereby insure a close fit and steam-tight connectionbetween the packing and cylinder,while at the same time allowing for theeasy movements of 1 the piston.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use my improvement,I-will proceed to describe its construction and operation by the aid ofthe accompanying drawings,in which like letters of reference designatelike or equivalent parts wherever found throughout the several views,and in which- Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a pistonprovidedwith my improved packingring; and Figs. 2aud 3 are face and sideviews, respectively, of the ring.

In the drawings, a is the piston-head; b, the piston or bull-ring; c,the piston-shaft, and d,

. the plate'or'follower, which is secured to the head a, and by whichthe pistonui'ng b and packing-rings e are held in place.

g The outer rim of the head a'is cutaway, as shown, in such a manner asto leave a flange, d, on'one side, and within or upon this cut-awayportion is placed the ring b. 1

The ring b is provided with circumferential grooves or recesses b, whichextend a determined distance below the outer surface or edge of theflange d and the follower'd when these parts are in position. The ring6, which forms the principal feature of my invention, is substantiallyrectangular in cross-section, and is provided on one of its front orpressure sides and on the inner face or side with corrugations, asshown, the corrugatioiis on the outer or pressure side and those on theinner face or side being'in communication or coincident. Ata point, ase, the ring e is cut, and one end thereof is provided with a tongue, h,which is secured thereto by rivets, as shown, and the other end movablyfits within a groove, h, formed in the opposite end of the ring. The

ring-e may be made of any metallic substance preferred, and the tongue hshould be made of some metal having a higher degree of expansion underthe influence of heat than the material of which the ring is composed.This is not, however, absolutely necessary, as it is evident that theparts may be made of the same material and operate successfully. The

outer edges ofthe packing-ring may also be The packing-rings e should bemade of such thickness that they will be held closely and firmly by theflange d and the follower d when the latter is in place. With thisconstruction the friction-surface on the front or pressure side of thepacking-ring is reduced by means of the corrugations formed thereon. Thecorrugations on the under or inner face of the ring, coincident with thecorrugations on the side thereof, increase the elasticity of the ring,

and also the surface area' of the inner face of the ring, upon which thesteam'acts to cause the expansion thereof, whereby greater force topress the ring against the ,cylinder is ob mined, and I am enabled toemploy a ring with much less impinging surface and still have aperfectly steam-tight fit between the cylinder and ring. Y

The operation has follows: When the piston is making its forward orupstroke in the direction of arrow i, the live steam rushes through thecorrugations at m on the side of the ring e down and into thecorrugations on the under or inner face thereof, and its expansive forceoperating in said corrugation and upon the entire inner face causes thering to expand and forces it outward against the surface of thecylinder, thus securing a perfectly steam-tight packing. On the reversestroke of the piston in the direction of arrow k the operation is thesame. The steam is forced into the corrugations at n, and passing intothe corrugations on the under or inner face of this ring causes itsexpansion as in the first instance, and this operation or action of theparts is repeated as long as the engineis runmng.

I am aware that steam has been employed to cause the expansion of thepiston-packing ringsin steam-cylindersby admitting the steam under thering in various ways, that this has been done where two rings were usedby causing the steam to press out the upper ring on the downstroke andthe lower ring on the upstroke of the engine, and also by causing thesteam to operate upon and expand both of the rings at once, and do notclaim, broadly, such construction. It is evident, however, thatcorrugations might be formed upon the inner sur face of the flange d andthe follower d, and upon the bottom of the grooves or recesses b, andthe packing-ring made with plain surfaces without departing from thespirit of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, its con- Struction and operation,what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is-

1. As an article of manufacture, a packingring for steam pistons, havingits outer or pressure side provided with corrugations, whereby steam isadmitted beneath the ring, substantially as shown and described.

2. As an article of manufacture, a packingring for steam-pistons, havingits outer or pressure side and its inner face provided withcommunicating or coincident corrugations, substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. The combination, with a steam piston provided with grooves orrecesses, as b, of a packing'ring having its outer or pressure sideradially corrugated, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, with a steam piston having grooves or recesses, asb, of apaekingring having its outer or pressure side and its inner orunder face provided with coincident or communicating corrugations,substantially as shown and described.

5. The eombination,with asteam-piston having grooves or recesses, as I),of apacking-ring, as e, and corrugations for admitting steam at the sideof and under the ring, substantially- JEFFERSON PATTEN.

Witnesses:

DANIEL E. DELAVAN, C. C. SKINNER.

